North Africa teams rule in ACC 2013?

SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - If one is to go by the first results of the African Clubs Cup (ACC), which tipped off in Sousse, Tunisia last Friday, this year's event might crown a new champion.

It looks like a few teams are making the most of the geographical proximity to Sousse, the cold weather in North Africa, and playing good basketball.

For instance, Sporting Alexandria of Egypt, who is making its debut in the ACC in a decade, seems to be the most impressive team so far, especially after remaining unbeaten in three games, having edged out tournament hosts Etoile Sportive du Sahel 70-69 on Day 3 of Group A.

Like Alexandria, both Ahly Benghazi of Libya and CS Constantinois of Algeria have won all their first three games.

But this year's ACC - the only official clubs competition on the continent - is full of surprises and they may last until the last day of competition on Saturday 21 December.

Even the defending champions Primeiro D'Agosto - the most successful team in the tournament's history with seven titles - could not escape an upset in the opening days of the competition.

They opened with a 78-66 victory over Angolan rivals Recreativo do Libolo, but suffered the biggest upset so far after losing 75-73 to Kano Pillars of Nigeria on Day 2.

D'Agosto may be missing the sharp-shooting duo of Angola internationals Reggie Moore (injured) and veteran Carlos Almeida, the latter did not travel with the team to Sousse, but it should not be a reason for under-performing as they count with AfroBasket 2013 champions Joaquim Gomes, Armando Costa, Hermenegildo dos Santos, Felizardo Ambrosio and a bunch of talented players.

Should D'Agosto fail to defend its ACC title, it would be the second time in two years, after they lost to Etoile Sportive du Sahel in the ACC 2011 Final in Sale, Morocco.

Etoile Sportive du Sahel, Egypt champions Sporting Alexandria, D'Agosto and Libolo remain the frontrunners, BUT, if Kano Pillars beat Recreativo do Libolo on Day 4 (Monday 16 December), they would become the tournament sensation and increase their chances to top Group B.

At the bottom of both Groups, four teams - Malabo Kings of Equatorial Guinea, Urunani of Burundi, Tally of Gabon and Liberian side of LPRC Oilers - remain win-less in three games and may have compromised their chances of advancing in the tournament, while Ferroviario da Beira of Mozambique still has a chance of making it to the next round.

The months of November and December have become a symbolic moment for top African clubs who gather at the annual ACC, investing a big part of their revenue to decide who rules on the continent.

And, three games into the tournament, it becomes clear that the four North African teams Etoile Sportive du Sahel, CS Constantinois, Ahly Benghazi, and Sporting Alexandria are poised to show who rules in that part of the continent.

"We know it will be a very tough tournament for us, but we are going to play the best we can and try to repeat Egypt's success in Abidjan," Egypt international Wael Khedr told me last week, before the host club insisted they are looking to think each game at time, play well, and win the ACC title because they are playing in front of their home fans and can't let them down.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.